The Status of Women in the States is part of an ongoing research project conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) to establish baseline measures of the status of women in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The effort is part of a larger IWPR Economic Policy Education Program, funded by the Ford Foundation, intended to improve the ability of advocates and policymakers at the state level to address women’s economic issues. The data used in each report come from a variety of sources, primarily government agencies, although other organizations also provided data where relevant.
The first three series of reports were released in 1996, 1998 and 2000 included a summary national report and 33 state reports. This fourth series includes nine states as well as an update of the national report.
About the report data and methodology
Read the appendices of the national report (in PDF format) for a detailed description of the methodology and sources of the data mentioned throughout the web page.
Read the methodology of the Best & Worst States (in PDF format) to learn more about how the best and worst states were chosen.
About the Institute for Women's Policy Research
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a public policy research organization dedicated to informing and stimulating the debate on public policy issues of critical importance to women and their families. IWPR focuses on issues that affect women’s daily lives, including employment, earnings, and economic change; democracy and society; poverty, welfare, and income security; work and family policies; and health and violence. IWPR also works in affiliation with the George Washington University’s graduate programs in public policy and women’s studies.